Page 4 of Starchaser
“Aster,” he murmurs, chastised. “Forgive me—”
“Don’t,” I grit out, my cheeks burning. “There’s nothing to forgive. The plan worked. That’s all that matters.”
Titus frowns. His brows pull together, his blue eyes piercing.
Softly, tenderly, he says, “Please, love, don’t cry.”
“I’m not—” I bite my bottom lip to keep it from trembling. “It’s not you, it’s…”
And then, before I can stop myself, every emotion comes spilling out of me and every memory from the past few months rushes to the surface.
My father, lying dead on the kitchen floor.
My brother Owen, who tried to turn me into a monster like him.
The king, who expects me to swear allegiance to him and to fight for him against my own people.
Will, who will die if I don’t succeed in forcing the Sylk queen to give us a drop of her blood—the only cure for the curse that will turn Will from a Nightweaver into a bloodthirsty Underling.
The same curse that will eventually turn me, too.
And then there’s Titus. He’s lied to me, manipulated me, and even now, I know he’s only pretending to care about me because he intends to use my abilities for his own gain.
And yet…
As if he can sense my thoughts, he leans forward, lifting his hand to reach for me. He lets it linger in the air, his fingers inches from my face, and I have the fleeting memory of his face underwater, just before his mouth met mine beneath the waves.…
It didn’t mean anything, I scold myself. He was only trying to save me to save himself. If I drowned, he would have lost his onlymeans of discovering the truth about his fiancée and curing his best friend.
The reminder douses my senses like a bucket of ice-cold water, and I clear my throat.
Titus jerks back his hand as if stung, clenches his fist in his lap. A neutral expression settles over his features as he retreats to his bench across the carriage from me, one ankle perched casually over his knee. He looks out the window as if I no longer exist.
Before I even hear the hinges creak, the door to the carriage opens.
And then Will is there, the scent of roses and damp earth enveloping me. He takes his seat beside me, his comforting warmth seeping through his cloak to my shivering skin, his hand on my cheek as his eyes—green but still glimmering with traces of gold Nightweaver light—examine me from head to toe.
I glance at his shoulder, but despite the blood that stains his shirt, it appears as if he’s already healed himself.
I melt into his touch, leaning forward, my lips parting. I knew, in the instant I saw the bullet pierce his flesh, that any remainder of outrage I felt toward him and his recent revelations vanished. We did not meet on ideal terms, and our partnership may have been founded on mutual gain, but I can’t deny what I feel for Will. And I can’t ignore the way his fingertips graze my skin, or the longing look in his eyes as he closes the distance between us, drawing in a shaky breath.…
“Later, my darling,” Will hurries to whisper, sounding strained. He draws back as the door to the carriage opens once more. I cringe as a Bloodknight takes the seat beside Titus, who shifts to put as much distance as he can between himself and the soldier.
“Miss Oberon,” Will says, his tone now cool, “I’d like you to meet Gabriel. He and our coachman for the evening, Flynn, will act as your private guards for the duration of our journey.”
Gabriel dips his head in greeting, his face concealed by his ornate scarlet helmet.
I say nothing, my every instinct telling me to lift a blade from Will’s person and drive it into one of the slits covering the Bloodknight’s eyes. To be this close to one of the king’s personal soldiers, knowing he’s most likely slaughtered thousands of my people at the royal command, and not be able to slice him from nose to navel is almost too much to bear. The only consolation I have is that when I’ve completed my task, and Will has been cured, I’m free to make the Bloodknights pay.
“Fantastic,” Titus drawls. “Now that we’re all acquainted…” He knocks on the window, and the carriage lurches into motion. “I believe we have a train to catch.”
“Aster,” comes Will’s deep voice,coaxing me gently from sleep, “we’re here.”
It takes me a full moment to realize I’m no longer aboard theStarchaser. The lavish interior of the royal carriage comes into focus as I blink my eyes open, wondering how I could have fallen into such a slumber, and notice Will’s hand resting lightly on my forearm.
The hair on the back of my neck bristles. “Did you—”
He holds a finger to his lips. We’re alone in the carriage—Titus and Gabriel have made their exit—but Will urges me to silence.
